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Local SEO Marketing
14 Steps For Explosive Business Growth

Local SEO Marketing

If you’re a small business owner, then you know that online visibility is essential. If you want to improve your online presence, then local SEO is the solution for you. In this article, we’ll cover the basics of getting started with local SEO marketing.

Local SEO Marketing: What Every Small Business Needs to Know about Local Search Engine Marketing

If you’re a business located in any given area, local marketing can help you rise to the top of search engine results pages (SERPs) for that region. Local SEO is a great way to help your business outrank competitors in the same region. While it’s similar to traditional SEO, there are some unique challenges that you need to account for when doing local SEO. By following the right steps and employing the right tactics, you can achieve great results.

What is Local SEO Marketing? 

Local search marketing, often called Local SEO (local search engine optimization), is a type of digital marketing service that businesses use to reach local prospects by ranking in the local results pages when web searchers look for the type of services that they offer.

Local search marketing is all about being found by your target customers when they do a local online search. You can optimize your site for local results using various techniques, including SEO (search engine optimization), SEM (search engine marketing) and GRP (geographic targeting).

Local search marketing can help businesses reach their target customers by appearing in local search results when they’re looking for information. By optimizing the website content and on-page elements to match the local market, businesses can increase their visibility and chances of success.

local seo marketing

What are the benefits of local search engine marketing services?

With local SEO marketing, you can increase visibility in the local search engines and attract more people to your website. This can result in more conversions and growth for your business. 

Reach More People 

Visibility in the local search results can have a major impact on your business. From here, the visibility could lead to more people discovering your website and possibly making contact with you in some way. Alternatively, if they are interested in what you offer, they might decide to head down to your physical location for a closer look.

Drive More Conversions

Action taken to increase search visibility will naturally lead to more people visiting your business website, which can result in more conversions (such as sales, subscriptions, or service inquiries). Since online consumers often find the information they need from the search results, they won’t always need to visit your website.

How does local SEO work?

Local SEO is similar to traditional SEO in that it involves optimizing your website and content to be found by local web searchers. The main difference is that local SEO focuses on the user’s location.

Because many users search for local businesses and services using their location, local SEO helps you stand out from competitors when those customers research local businesses and services. Local SEO increases your chances of appearing in the top results on the search engine results page (SERP) when they’re looking for a business like yours.

Local Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs)

Google evaluates local businesses differently than it does other websites when it comes to ranking in local search results. When looking for information about a local business, web searchers often want different types of information, like maps, store hours, and review information. Standard search engine results pages (SERPs) do not offer that information and therefore look different than local search result pages.

Local Pack: Optimize for Google Business Profile

Being featured by Google in their Local Pack is a great benefit for a small business. It’s a great way for businesses to be seen and access potential customers who are looking for local services and products. The advantage of being featured is that it can attract new business, as well as increase traffic to an existing business. 
 
To get started, you’ll first need to understand your business’s unique selling proposition (USP). This is the unique feature or benefit that sets your business apart from your competitors. Once you have a good understanding of what makes your business special, you can start to develop content that addresses the needs and wants of local web searchers. 
 

Localized Organic Results 

The local organic results are displayed below the Local Pack. This listing order is based on a range of ranking factors, including on-page optimization, reviews, and inbound links. This can be a great opportunity to appear in the organic results, but it’s not as good as being in the Local Pack.

Additionally, businesses that are not featured in the Local Pack may appear in the local organic results if they are listed on the first page for a specific location. When you’re optimizing your website and content for local SEO, keep these 3 essential elements in mind to help you rank locally:

 
Structured Data Markup – Google uses structured data markup to help you provide the information they need to properly categorize and display your business in search results. It’s also used to help Google provide additional information, like star ratings and hours of business. Check out Googles’ helpful Structured Data Markup tool to test your website and find out how well it’s speaks to the Google bot when it crawls your website.
 
Mobile-Friendly – The mobile experience is increasingly important for local consumers, who often turn to their smartphone or tablet to find companies and services in their vicinity. You can use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Testing Tool to test your website to make sure it’s optimized for the mobile user experience.
 
Google Business Profile – Google’s free tool allows you to create a business listing for your company that includes your address, phone number, photos, and other information.
 

Google Maps

Move the map to explore different business locations in your area. Results appear in a list on the left of the page, with businesses displayed on a map to the right. As you rank in Google Business Profile, you will also rank in Google Maps.  

#1: Research Your Local Competitive Landscape

Before you start Local SEO marketing, it is necessary to complete a competitive research analysis for your local business service. Your research  should include the following:

Focus on the kind of content your competitors who are ranking on the top of the search engine results pages (SERPs), the keywords that they’re targeting, and from where they’re getting their backlinks. You will also want to check out what directories they have citations.

Pay particular attention to their Google Business Profile (GBP) and how optimized it is. The more optimized, the more reviews and the more consistent posting, the better your GBP will rank.

You will also want to gauge what social media channels they use. Match each one and then expand by adding additional social media platforms to widen your reach and increase social signals.

Additionally, look at whether the search engines are ranking videos for your essential key terms. You will want to consider adding short videos for your services and service areas to help you outrank your competition.

#2: Create a Local SEO Strategy

local search engine marketing

Research will help you create a Local SEO strategy. Your Local SEO strategy should address the following questions:  

What are your business goals?
What’s your time frame for achieving these goals?
What do you want to be known for?
What do you have to offer?
How will you reach your target customers?

To develop your Local SEO strategy, you will want to engage the services of a local SEO provider who is a professional in local search. A local SEO provider will be able to create a strategy that works for your specific business and situation. They will know exactly what tactics to use and when to use them. 

#3: Identify Your Best Local SEO Keywords

One of the most important factors in ranking a website is choosing the right local keywords. Yet, how do you choose the right local keywords for your business?

There are a few things to consider when selecting local keywords: the industry your business operates in, the geographical area your business operates in, and the keywords that are most relevant to your business.

Local SEO Keyword Research

Local SEO services always start with local SEO keyword research. In order to optimize your website for local SEO, you need to know the keywords that your target audience is searching for. There are a number of excellent keyword research tools, both free and paid, to identify the target keywords for your niche and location.  

A number of local SEO keywords tools will show you the top keywords for your area, as well as how competitive those terms are. One such tool is Google AdWords Keyword Planner which you can use for free once you open an account.

You will want to identify all the essential key phrases for your services. Also look for your clients’ pain points. So if you are a plumber, you will want to find all the terms relating to your service and location, such as “plumber San Diego” but also the pain points “fix leaking faucet”.  These terms will make up your semantic core of key terms which you will use throughout your website, digital assets and social media.

Find service-based keywords

Service-based keywords represent the problem being solved. For example, if your business is a carpet cleaner, you may want to include “carpet cleaning Los Angeles” or “carpet cleaning services” in your semantic core of keywords.

Put the most important keywords in your title tag and meta-description to improve your SERP ranking. Use other keywords throughout your website content and social media profiles.

Check search volumes

Then you need to find out how often these keywords are being searched for. This can be done in a number of ways, including using Google AdWords Keyword Planner and Google Trends. Don’t necessarily puruse high volume keywords as those tend to have greater competition. You want to look for the terms that have the highest conversion potential which tend to be long-term keywords that relate to pain points. These may have smaller search volumes but will convert to leads and sales for your business. Quality over quantity.

Check for local intent

Before you start using keywords in your website content, you need to determine whether or not the keyword has local intent. This can be done using Google Trends. If you see a spike in searches for this term at certain times of the day or during the week, or if the searches are higher than average in your area, then you know that this keyword has local intent.

Local SEO Keyword Optimization

Once you’ve chosen your essential keywords and researched them thoroughly, it’s time to add them to your site. Add your keywords to the following website elements:
Title tag
Meta description
ALT tag (for images)
URL
Image file name
Social media profiles
Video file names

#4: Optimize Your Local Website

local search marketing

One of the most important things you can do to improve your website’s performance is optimize it for local SEO. By doing this, you’ll make sure your website is easily found by users in your area, and you’ll see increased traffic and conversions.

Add location specific information to your website

Highlight your location pages on your website. When a user visits your location page, they should instantly know where your business is located. In addition to your address and phone number, it is also a good idea to include a map, directions, hours of operation and any other location-based information on your location pages.

If you have multiple locations, make sure you have a different location page for each one. Then use internal links throughout your site to link back to each location page. This will help Google understand that each location is separate.

In addition to the location pages, you can optimize your website in other ways. Make sure you include your location in your title tag, meta description and ALT tags. Also include you location in the file name of any images you upload to your website.

Add local Service pages

 If you have a service-based business, add pages for each service you offer. Then include your location in the title tag and meta description of each service page. Also include your location in the file name of any images you upload to your website.

Create informative and useful local content.

Google knows that the best local results are filled with useful, high-quality and relevant content. Therefore, you need to make sure your website is full of useful, interesting and informative content. This will help Google understand your business and will attract more local customers.

Your website content doesn’t have to be long, but it should contain unique information. In addition to blog posts, you should also add local content to your website in the form of useful topics, articles, infographics, videos and other resources.

Ensure your website is mobile-Friendly

Your website needs to be mobile-friendly if you want to rank well in Google’s local search results. This is because most people use their smartphones to search the web. In fact, Google has said that mobile searches now account for more than half of all search queries. Therefore, if your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re missing out on half of your potential customers.

To find out if your website is mobile-friendly, use Google’s mobile-friendly testing tool.

Build an informative and high-quality local home page.

Your website’s home page should be informative, useful and high-quality. Your homepage will either attract or deter prospective clients, so you will want to make sure that it is helpful, thorough and user-friendly.

Your home page should include valuable and interesting content, including your location, contact information, social media profiles and a brief overview of your business. 

Google is constantly trying to improve its local search results, so you need to take advantage of this. You do this by adding local business information and reviews to your website. This will help Google understand that you are a local business.

Improve site performance and load time.

Google’s local results have a mobile-friendly design, which can make them difficult to navigate. The mobile-friendly results are also slow to load, which makes them frustrating for users. To make sure Google doesn’t rank your website poorly in its local search results, you need to make sure it loads quickly and is easy to navigate. This will not only make your website more user-friendly, but it will also help you rank higher in Google’s local search results.

Add Call-To-Actions (CTA) throughout your website

You should include a CTA on your contact page that directs users to your contact information. In addition, you can use CTAs throughout your website to direct users to your contact information and social profiles. This will encourage users to contact you and will help Google to understand that you are a local business.

Use schema markup to improve your site’s visibility.

Use rich snippets to highlight your business in search results. Google uses rich snippets to display your business’ contact information, location, opening hours and other useful details. To make sure Google displays this information, you need to add schema markup to your website. This will help Google understand your business and will encourage users to visit your website.

Schema markup is a type of coding that helps Google understand your website’s structure and content. It makes it easier for Google to know what key information your website contains. The most important schema type to use on your website is the LocalBusiness type. If you don’t use this type, Google will not know that you’re a local business.

Name Address Phone Number Website (NAP-W)

The name, address, phone number and website (NAP-W) are the most important parts of schema markup. When you use this markup, you should make sure your information is correct and consistent. You should also include your NAP-W on your website’s contact page as well as on your social profiles.

#5: Optimize For Local Content

local marketing seo

For optimal local search engine optimization, Google wants to show users the most relevant, useful and accurate local results. Therefore, if your business information hasn’t changed, there’s no reason for Google to show the same listing over and over again. Keep your business information fresh and updated so that Google doesn’t think your site is outdated.

Content is king for local search engine optimization.  If your website doesn’t have any content, Google will automatically assume that it’s not a legitimate business. Google can also use content to determine whether your business is relevant for certain searches. If your website has high-quality, interesting and engaging content, Google will find you more relevant and useful.

You can increase the amount of content on your website by creating valuable blog posts and adding significant information to your About Us and FAQ pages. In addition, you should post interesting, engaging and valuable content on your social profiles.

Include local events and news on your website. Events and news are important because they show Google that your business is active and current. These types of articles are also very useful to visitors who are looking to learn more about your area. They also help to build trust and will encourage users to visit your website.

#6 Optimize Your Local On-Page SEO

Once you have your website set up with the above requirements, you should take time to optimize your on-page SEO. By doing this, you’ll make sure your website is easily found by users in your area.

The page title is the most important element that you need to optimize for local SEO. Your page title should include your location (and your brand if you have one), and it should be 70 characters or less. Your meta description should also include your location, brand and additional details about your business. The meta description should be between 150 and 160 characters.

For the rest of the elements, you can use the same SEO principles that you would use for any other website, with some local SEO tweaks.

Local SEO Meta Data

The main pieces of meta data that you will want to optimize for your local SEO campaign are your title tag and meta description tag. These tags are the most important descriptions of your web page that show up in SERPs.

#7: Business Local Off-Page SEO

local business search engine marketing

Building high quality links to your website creates authority for your website. Therefore, you will want to make sure that your website ranks well in Google. To do this, you need to build relevant links to your website. This will help Google understand that your website is authoritative and trustworthy.

Use keyword-rich anchor text on your links. When linking to your website, use keyword-rich anchor text. For example, if you have a link that says, “Read more,” you should change this to something like, ” Click Here to Read More .” Using keyword-rich anchor text like this will help Google understand that your business is local.

Local Link Building: Get inbound links with relevance and authority

Back links helps local search engines understand the local relevance of a business. Links also demonstrates the value of the content which created the link. When building local links, be sure to prioritize good quality content, useful information and guidance on issues your clients typically deal with.

Check your competitors’ backlinks to see the sources of their backlinks from, reach out to other nearby businesses and build  local citations.

Build Local Citations: Increase Backlink Profile with Quality Niche & Location-Specific Directory Links.

Your local citations are very important because they show Google where your business is located. If you don’t have any citations, users might find it difficult to find your business in the local pack. However, if you have a lot of citations, it will make it more likely that Google shows your business in the local pack.

Local citations are a great way to boost your business visibility online. By appearing on review platforms and business directories, you can gain credibility with potential customers and potential clients. In addition, a local citation may give you a backlink that could help your SEO ranking.

#8: Set up Your Google Business Profile

google business profile seo

Next, set up your Google Business Profile listing. Since local search ranking factors can vary by location, it’s important to set up a Google Business Profile page for each location where you have a physical business presence.

Claiming your Google Business Profile listing is easy and provides you with an opportunity to provide information about your business, such as your address, phone number, hours of operation, and more. Being featured in the Local Business Pages is a great benefit because it can engage local customers and increase traffic to your business. 

Optimizing your Google Business Profile listing yields generous results once it starts ranking on Google Page One. Optimizing your profile for Google Business can help you achieve better results for your business, even if your site is not ranking well organically. By optimizing your profile for Google Business, you’ll increase the visibility of your business, attract new customers, and boost conversion rates.

#9 Grow Your Brand: Google Knowledge Panel SEO

You will know that you’ve done a great job optimizing your website and Google Business Profile listing when you start seeing the Google Knowledge Panel. Google Knowledge Panel SEO involves optimizing your website, Google Business Profile and Google site, along with social media, and citations to such an extent that Google recognizes your business as an “entity”.

Once you have shown yourself as an entity, that is validation that your local search engine optimization efforts have been successful and now your business is recognized as an authority and there is trust in youru service-offerings.

#10: Business Local SEO: Get Additional Business Listings 

While nowhere near the traffic that Google has, it still is a good idea to list your business in as many local search engines as possible. To that aim, consider adding your business to the following business listings where it makes sense for your type of service.

#11: Optimize Your Local Social Profiles

local search engine marketing

Optimize your social profiles to make sure they are easily found by users in your area. This will help increase brand awareness and lead generation. Getting listed on various social media sites can help you improve your local search ranking.

Connect your social profiles to your website. You can do this by adding links to your blog posts or other content on your website. This will help Google index your social media profiles. Make sure that you’re using the most appropriate social media accounts for your business. Which ones are the most appropriate?  Look to the top ranking competitors and plan to match and exceed their social media profiles.

#12: Search Engine Marketing for Local Business:
Get Listed on Local Directories

Getting listed on local directories is another way to improve your local search ranking. Local directories are an easy way for users to find businesses, so you should get listed on as many local directories as possible. You will want to list your business on as many niche-specific citation sources as possible based on the type of services that you offer.

#13: Track Your Progress: Local Ranking Tracking

Finally, track your rankings using your favorite keyword research tool. By tracking your rankings, you’ll be able to see how your campaign is doing and where you can make improvements in order to further increase your traffic and sales.

#14 Own The SERPs: Google Local Services Ads

Google Local Services Ads are a relatively new local advertising option that allows you to display your business’s offers to people who are searching on Google with terms related to your industry. They will help round out your digital real estate for your brand and primary search terms on the search engine results pages.

Small Business Local SEO Services

Businesses that don’t invest in local marketing will find themselves falling behind in local rankings as their competitors start to dominate the search results pages for their local keywords. Don’t let this happen to you. Hire a local SEO professional today to help you with your Local SEO campaign.

Hopefully, from this presentation, you can see that Local business search engine marketing services is one of the most important areas of local marketing for local rankings results. If you’re ready to take your Local SEO marketing  to the next level, I encourage you to take action right now.

For more information on local marketing and how it can help your business, please contact us. We’re here to help you increase your reach, revenue and ROI through our local marketing SEO services.

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